Film and Television: The Collector Who Rampages Across the Heavens

"Thank you, Your Highness, for the jade. We'll meet again in three years." Su Li put away the jade pendant with both hands and left the palace under the other's gaze.

The eastern border he was heading to was the front line of the war against the Eastern Wei. Although the two countries had not fought a major war, there had been constant frictions on the border. The fourth branch of the Yuwen family, to which he belonged, had a lot of connections in the border army in the eastern border. Many of them were generals promoted by his father and grandfather. He would be even more at ease there.

Only three days after returning to Black Mountain Academy, Su Li gave an order to have people pack their bags and set off for the Eastern Territory. He also made arrangements in the Imperial City, so that any major events would be reported from afar.

On his last night before leaving the capital, Su Li went to the dungeon where Xiao Yu was imprisoned. Looking at Xiao Yu's pale face and lifeless eyes, he reached out and knocked on the steel cage.

"I'm leaving the capital."

Su Li's words immediately caught the attention of the three people present, but his next sentence made their hearts sink: "But... I will secretly take you away. This departure will last for three years. Cheer up."

Xiao Yu gritted her teeth, staring coldly at him as she asked, "How long exactly do you intend to keep us locked up, young master?"

"The day you submit, but perhaps one day I'll lose patience and might just execute you all."

Su Li waved his hand listlessly and turned to leave. He had only come to see the three of them briefly and to test their patience.

"Wait!" Princess Taoye swallowed hard, leaned out from the iron cage, and called out sweetly, "Young Master Li, I am willing to serve you."

Xiao Yu's expression changed drastically, and she shouted angrily, "Peach Leaf Princess, how dare you betray me?"

Tao Ye Ji gave a bleak smile and said bitterly, "My lord, how many three-year periods does a person have in their life? How can we waste our time here? Besides, I have already made enough contributions to the Great Liang."

"You vile woman, how dare you presume to trust Her Highness the Princess so much!" Yin Xin was loyal to Xiao Yu to the death, and she glared at him with extreme anger.

Su Li coldly looked at the three of them, her gaze fixed on the charming and beautiful woman who looked like a songstress, and said with a smile, "Let's talk about it when we get to the Eastern Territory. In the meantime, you should also think about what you can submit to me as a merit."

Princess Taoye was taken aback, then bit her lip: "Yes, I understand."

The next day, Zuli and his group set off for the eastern border, traveling during the day and resting at night. The further they went east from the bustling areas, the more desolate the landscape became.

Half a month later, the Eastern Border was within reach. Su Li stood with his sword drawn, overlooking the continuous mountain ranges, cities, and passes, and sighed deeply. He would spend the next three years here.

……

The rugged mountain path, shaded by dense trees, echoed with deafening roars under the dappled sunlight as two armies of over a thousand men clashed, with soldiers dying every moment.

puff!

The cold halberd easily pierced the chest of the Eastern Wei soldier, and the halberd holder tossed the 200-pound body into the enemy ranks with a light toss.

One of the most valiant and handsome generals, dressed in military uniform, charged ahead. Wherever his Black Dragon Devouring Heaven Halberd passed, there were cries of agony. The blood from severed limbs mingled on the ground, forming a red carpet, which terrified the enemy.

The taxi drivers behind him were greatly encouraged, and their eyes became even more fervent as they looked at the figure in front of them.

"Run for your lives!"

"The general has escaped..."

"Run!"

With the first soldier of the Eastern Wei army fleeing, the army collapsed instantly, and the previously manageable formation crumbled in an instant.

Su Li stood still, holding the black halberd, no longer attacking. He took a slight breath, recovering his depleted strength.

Nearly three years have passed since he arrived in the Eastern Territory. He has been fighting on this frontier, making a name for himself from the very first pass. With only a hundred elite personal guards, he captured a strategic pass defended by a thousand men from the Eastern Wei. He continued to fight and accumulate more and more military merits.

He single-handedly charged into enemy lines and beheaded a general of the Eastern Wei army, wiped out the Black Mountain bandits, and led the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry to plunder Eastern Wei cities. Each battle seemed as if it had happened yesterday.

His physical abilities after the upgrades were far beyond those of ordinary people. There were military generals in the Eastern Wei army, but none of them could last ten moves against him.

After years of fighting, Su Li had achieved remarkable military exploits and accumulated numerous merits. As a result, he also had a prestigious title in the Eastern Army: "Martial Champion Marquis," which meant that he was as fearsome as the Champion Marquis, killing so many that it made the enemy tremble.

There was originally a saying in the army that "the Hegemon-King is alive again, and the Marquis of Wen is reborn," but Su Li stopped it as soon as it started. Although these two were indeed skilled in martial arts, they were not good people. It was one thing to shout such things in chaotic times, but to shout them now would be courting death.

"General, this is a letter from the capital." A scout rode up on horseback, dismounted, knelt down, and presented a letter.

Su Li took the document, opened it, and smiled. The Wei Emperor had issued an edict ordering him to return to the capital to report on his duties. The same was true for other generals who had been guarding the border for many years, such as Yuwen Yue and the Seventh Prince Yuan Che. The old man was obviously afraid that they would become too powerful on the border, so he ordered them to return within seven days of receiving the edict.

"Little did we know, the real chaos would begin after we returned."

Su Li sneered inwardly, ordered his deputy to arrange for men to clean up the battlefield, and then led his personal guards back to the city.

After half a day's journey, a somewhat weathered and old city came into view; this was the encampment of his Xuanjia Army.

"Why are you back?"

Upon returning to the mansion, Chu Qiao, dressed in a martial arts outfit and accompanied by Zhi Xiang and other women, along with some guards, immediately approached him and handed him a silk handkerchief.

Su Li wiped the dust off her face and washed herself with water. Then she said, "A message has come from the capital that an imperial edict will arrive soon, summoning me back to report for duty."

"Are you alone?" Chu Qiao asked with a frown. She had been training with the man in front of her at the border, and she had become more and more heroic and spirited. She had also been secretly monitoring the intelligence agency of the Cold Mountain Alliance, and the intelligence was very fast.

"No, there's also Yuwen Yue and his old generals." Su Li said, walking into the house, and continued, "How's Xiao Yu doing? Has he handed over his intelligence network?"

"I was just about to write to you about this. She might be giving in and want you to go see her when you get back."

Before Chu Qiao took over the care of Xiao Yu, she never expected that the man in front of her, who was one of her mother's greatest enemies when she was alive and the head of the Liang Secret Bureau, would be captured by this man so quietly.

"No rush, take a couple of days."

Su Li let out a long sigh, looking slightly tired, and slumped into her chair.

Chu Qiao habitually walked behind him and gently massaged the man's temples with her slender, white fingers.

"Achu?"

"What's wrong!"

"Stay with me tonight, because once we go back to the capital, we really won't have time."

Over the course of those three years, their relationship deepened. They even hit a triple, but this girl absolutely refused to let him take the final step.

Chu Qiao paused her massage, her clear eyes lowered slightly, and she whispered, "Okay!"

Su Li smiled with satisfaction. To be honest, he no longer coveted the woman's body as much as he had at the beginning. He was enjoying the final process and the pleasure of completely conquering her.

The night was clear as water, and the area around the mansion was extremely quiet. After dinner, Chu Qiao was pushed to take a bath. After washing up, she changed into a purple and white palace dress and gracefully came to the man.

Su Li looked at her and found the woman's figure flawless. She was petite and slender, and her years of martial arts training made her exceptionally well-proportioned. Her hair was loose, and her face was beautiful with a proud and heroic air.

He said, "It's beautiful!"

Even though Chu Qiao had experienced this kind of gaze many times before, she still blushed a little when stared at like that.

"Hurry up and get going!"

"Are you getting impatient?" Su Li teased.

Chu Qiao turned and left, but he quickly embraced her delicate body from behind and led her to the bed...

The next day, the sun shone brightly, and several birds flew across the treetops in the clear morning. Su Li pushed away the woman who was curled up in his arms, sleeping soundly with a sweet smile, put on a coat, and went outside.

Princess Taoye, who had been waiting for a long time, smiled charmingly and had her maid bring up the toiletries. She then personally served Su Li, who only needed to enjoy the service.

"Your former employer may soon be working for me alongside you." Su Li looked at the woman in front of him. After a year of his observation and testing, Tao Ye Ji had gained some of his trust and was the first to come out of prison.

Princess Taoye's smiling face froze, her eyes flickered, and she said in a coquettish voice, "Young master, you wouldn't let her kill me, would you?"

"Of course not, I'm very satisfied with you in every way."

Su Li pinched her rather large breasts and chuckled, "Don't worry, you're mine. If the intelligence network of the Great Liang Secret Bureau is reopened, you will share control with her."

"I understand, Your Highness. I will keep a close eye on Xiao Yu for you." Tao Ye Ji puffed out her chest.

"However, Xiao Yu calling me over doesn't seem like she's giving in; she probably has other ideas."

Su Li didn't care. He would never release the other party unless they were truly loyal to him.

After having a meal and spending some time playing with Zhi Xiang and the other women, he led his men to the place of imprisonment, which was also a dungeon with tight security.

"I heard you wanted to see me?"

Hearing the words coming from outside, Xiao Yu raised her tired face. She looked even thinner than she had three years ago, and her skin was as pale as snow. Being imprisoned in this underground place was not something a normal person could endure.

Moreover, the food provided by Su Li was not much, barely enough to sustain life. She needed to practice martial arts to maintain her strength, and it was already quite remarkable that she hadn't lost her figure after all this time.

As for Yin Xin, he was even worse off. With his hair disheveled and a gloomy expression, he sat on the bed and immediately yelled when he was let in, "Bastard, let us out! You despicable scoundrel, if you have the guts, fight me to the death!"

Su Li ignored his clamor and looked at Xiao Yu instead. Three years ago, Xiao Yu was a capable female knight-errant and princess. Now, she was more melancholic and slender, but she had a different kind of charm.

"How is my Great Liang? How is Xiao Ce?" Xiao Yu's first thought was not to care about her, but to know about her motherland, which was thousands of miles away.

"It's alright, but the power struggles within your royal family have never stopped. Xiao Ce is naturally pretending to be crazy and foolish, never daring to reveal his true intentions of biding his time," Su Li said.

Xiao Yu sighed deeply, looking at him with a firm gaze: "I can hand over part of the Secret Bureau's intelligence network in Daliang, but you must let me go."

Su Li shook her head slightly and said, "How about this: if you sincerely serve me, I don't need the intelligence network of the Great Liang Secret Bureau, how about that?"

Now that he has the Cold Mountain Alliance's intelligence network, he is interested in the Secret Mansion but doesn't value it that much. Instead, Xiao Yu is the most important person to him.

Xiao Yu smiled bitterly: "Why do you make things difficult for me, young master? You know that's impossible. I am the eldest princess of Liang. In the future, I will either live out my days alone or be married into another country."

"I know, but I believe your strength is more important than your status." Su Li continued confidently, "You know, I've received information that your Great Liang Crown Prince Xiao Ce is going to the capital, Chang'an, to marry Princess Yuan Chun. But you know what that princess is thinking; she has always loved Yan Xun. And Yan Xun, like Xiao Ce, is like King Goujian of Yue, enduring hardship and biding his time..."

"The Western Wei is about to descend into chaos!"

Xiao Yu's beautiful eyes narrowed. Without leaving her house, she could tell from just a few words from the man in front of her that the long-peaceful Western Wei was about to descend into chaos, and that Yuwen Li was one of the masterminds behind it all.

"Your judgment is correct. I have received reliable intelligence that some of the remaining subordinates of the Marquis of Dingbei have gathered a considerable number of troops and are very likely to plunder Chang'an when Yan Xun's three-year term ends, forcing him to return to Yanbei." Su Li took two steps forward and smiled, "You and I both know Yan Xun's thoughts at this moment. With troops in hand, only one of Western Wei and him can survive."

"And you, you just watched Western Wei descend into chaos, what were you planning to do, overthrow the Wei emperor and take that position?" Xiao Yu stood up, the shackles on his body making a crisp sound, walked to the iron cell, and stared at him.

"The correct way to put it is that I want to unify the world and bring back the glorious era of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han."

"You?" Xiao Yu's refined face showed a hint of mockery. Throughout history, there have been countless talents, but how many emperors could compare to Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han?

"As for me... I've said enough. Give me your answer!" Su Li's tone gradually turned cold. "I won't have time to see you from now on. This is the last time I'm warning you. Next time, you might be facing a cup of poison."

Xiao Yu bit her dry lips, pondered for a long time, and then raised her bright eyes: "I can serve you, but only to deal with people outside of Daliang. I will not reveal any information about Daliang."

If Western Wei were to fall into war, the benefits to Great Liang would be self-evident. Even though she hadn't been captured before, she knew about the ambitious Yuwen Li and would have contacted him to offer help.

"How can I trust you?" Su Li asked.

Xiao Yu raised her hand high, her pretty face solemn, and said, "I, Xiao Yu, hereby swear on behalf of the Xiao clan of Great Liang that I am truly loyal to Yuwen Li. If I ever harbor any intention or do anything to harm him, may the Xiao clan be destroyed, our family wiped out, and our entire clan exterminated... Is that alright?"

"There's one more condition."

"explain!"

"I want you..." Su Li said directly.

Xiao Yu fell silent. She had no affection for the man in front of her; she was only forced to pledge allegiance under duress.

"You can consider it. I'll wait three days for you."

Su Li knew she couldn't get over this psychological hurdle, so she kindly gave her some time to think and process it.